Anita Rachman & Antara – Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali on Wednesday vouched for an Islamic school accused of grooming hard-liners, insisting it taught tolerance and hence could not be radical.
At a press conference at the Al Zaytun pesantren, or boarding school in Indramayu, West Java, the minister said it was unlikely that it was connected to the Indonesian Islamic State (NII) movement, which advocates the establishment of a ruling caliphate to impose Shariah law nationwide.
"It's very difficult to link the Al Zaytun Islamic boarding school with the NII, which is radical," he said. He added that radical movements tended to abhor modern thinking, whereas the teachers that he had seen at the school employed modern tools.
Suryadharma also said the fact that school head Panji Gumilang – himself alleged to be an NII proponent – had invited him to lead afternoon prayers during the visit "proves that there's no radicalism being developed at this school."
At the same press conference, Panji denied any links to the NII movement. "I'm not connected with the NII's history," he said. He added that as far as he knew, the movement thrived in Indonesia shortly after independence and died down in 1962. "After that, there's no such organization called the NII," he said.
Panji also said seven classes of students had gone on to graduate from the school, with no reports of any of the graduates becoming caught up in criminal activity.
"In one TV interview, an Al Zaytun graduate said he was grateful for following the system of education here, which helped him become a successful businessman," he said.
However, Effendy Choirie, a legislator from the National Awakening Party (PKB), said on Thursday that Panji had in the past been close to key members of the NII. He added it was not certain if the school also adopted the same hard-line ideology, saying only an investigation could reveal that.
Separately, Lukman Hakim, a deputy speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), said the NII was about more than simply wanting to promote hard-line Islamic ideology. He said there must be some other motivation at play behind the ultraconservative movement.
"Or at the very least, the NII proponents' inchoate understanding of Islam is being used or manipulated for certain purposes," he said, adding these ends could be political, economic or social in nature.
Lukman also said the government should act decisively in uncovering the interests driving the radical movement, while Islamic leaders and clerics should see the growing problem as criticism of their failure to teach the public mainstream values of the faith.
A.M. Fatwa, a member of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), said radical movements such as the NII were taking advantage of the large number of youths lacking guidance in their lives.
He urged the government to identify the root of the NII and eradicate it, adding other elements of society should also be involved in that effort.
"The government alone can't be expected to carry out a deradicalization campaign," he said. "Islamic schools and their teachers should be involved in promoting programs to counter radical indoctrination."